From high school ball at Pershing in Detroit to college hoops at Michigan State to a 14-year professional career that included an NBA ring, an Olympic gold medal and gold at the World Championships, Steve Smith has, by any measure, had an enormously successful career. That he hasn’t even reached the age of 40 is even more amazing; that he’s such a humble, generous, family-oriented man is perhaps the most awe-inspiring thing of all.

His giving back to the community – evidenced by his $2.5 million donation to MSU, the scholarship fund he endowed that allows Pershing High students to attend the university, and his annual fundraising golf outing -- is well documented. However, his business savvy is something that may catch a lot of people by surprise.

At the third annual Greater Lansing Business/Sports Luncheon in mid-September, Smith spoke of his challenges on the court against some of the NBA’s best, as well as the concerted effort he made off the court to make sure that when the buzzer sounded on his final game, his fiscal future would be secure. He said that the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” espoused by Stephen Covey have helped him in every facet of his life. In particular, he believes that the first three habits – putting first things first, beginning with the end in mind, and being proactive -- gave him a big advantage. He also spoke of the importance of honesty, integrity, loyalty, trust and forgiveness in personal growth and in the world of business. He said, “I always try to determine as soon as possible in any situation… whether or not these traits are present.”

Smith said the biggest price he’s had to pay as a professional athlete has come in the form of wear and tear on his body, and reduced time with his family. He missed out on “birthdays, anniversaries, school recital, first days, and first steps.” Now, as an Atlanta Hawks’ analyst for Fox Sports, Smith is having a great time, because he “still gets to be around the game, the hours are great, and I only miss the kids sleeping.”

Smith thanked his agent, Dr. Charles Tucker, and Jack Davis his lawyer, the men he calls the top picks on Team Smith, the team he assembled after he was drafted into the NBA, and of which he is “the president, general manager, and the coach.” But the most important members of the team are his wife and two sons.

Introducing Smith, MSU basketball coach Tom Izzo, said he believed that it was Smith’s recruitment that started the long tradition of successful recruiting and quality players at MSU. “You want a hard worker and a classy guy. When they mention certain players in the pros, they say, ‘He’s a pro’s pro.’ And I think that’s what Steve is.”

And now, let’s go one-on-one with Smith. On…

… what it’s like to be traded:

“When I first got traded, I said, ‘what did I do wrong? Why me?’ But that’s when you have to understand, even at that young stage in your career, that it’s a business. It’s a great business, but it’s still a business. After (the first trade) you start looking at it like ‘what’s the best situation for me?’ I asked to be traded to Portland, because it was a situation where I thought that the Hawks organization wasn’t trying to win (a championship), and my whole focus was trying to win.”

… on what it takes to be a winner:

“I think the biggest thing is, you gotta go out there and lay it out; you have to be selfless. You can’t be your leading scorer just because you were the leading scorer on the team you came from. Somebody has to do the dirty work, and the teams I was on, we had guys that would do that.”

… on the connection between business and sports:

“I think (business and sports) go hand-in-hand once you get a chance to see a lot of the business operations. I got a chance to learn a lot from my agent, Dr. Tucker. I advise all young players and athletes to go to your general manager, your president, and ask the business questions; ask them ‘how?’ And I did that a lot everywhere I went; and as (I) got older, and more confident, I started going to the owners, and asking them what they did in their other businesses. And they would say, ‘Steve, you don’t want to talk basketball?’ and I’d say, ‘No, I want to talk about Paul Allen and Microsoft.’

His final thoughts?

“It’s good I can say this: I don’t feel like I’ve had a real job yet. Playing professional sports is a dream come true. Being able to talk about it – really I’m a fan –watch the game and give my two cents… I don’t think I’ve really had a real job yet. But I think one day, it’s coming.”

When it does, all indications are that success will be a slam-dunk.

The 3^rd annual Greater Lansing Business/Sports Luncheon was sponsored by Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, Capital City Airport, Dean Trailways, Eagle Eye Golf Club, Shaheen Chevrolet, Willingham & Coté, PC, WILX-TV 10, Timeless Classics 1320 WILS, 101.7 Mike FM and the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau.